Nightmares
by thelegendofappa
Summary: Korra didn't think that he could hear her crying late at night.


Korra didn't think that he could hear her crying late at night.

But she guessed he did. She would slip out from under Mako's arm around her waist and sit on the edge of the bed. She tried to shed her tears silently, but the occasional sob escaped her throat.

The war in Republic City had been long and hard. It had taken its toll on everyone, but no one as much as Korra. She had seen brave citizens and soldiers die, many of them protecting her. The war was won, but Korra felt like a failed Avatar. And even though Amon was dead and the anti-bending revolution over, she was still plagued with nightmares of the masked man.

But Korra was strong. She could defeat any villain, win any fight. But she had no idea how to destroy this new enemy; her mind.

Things got worse at night. Daylight chased the nightmares away and she felt safe, for a while. But there was nothing to protect her when she closed her eyes and was left to her own thoughts and the ghosts of war.

Her body shook with the sobs wracking through her. All she wanted to do was sleep without images of carnage and blood flashing through her mind's eye, the screams of dying men and women echoing through her brain. She would give anything to make it stop.

Korra heard the rustle of sheets behind her and suddenly felt the warm embrace of Mako from behind. She froze, embarrassed at being found so weak, so _vulnerable_.

She tried, unsuccessfully, to wriggle out of his embrace, but he tightened his hold on her.

"Mako," she mumbled, hurriedly wiping at her tears. "It was just…a nightmare. I'm fine. Go back to bed." He shook his head.

"No." He spoke with conviction, kissing her salty tears. "I'm not leaving you alone."

And at that moment, Korra lost it, twisting in his arms to bury her head in his chest. She sobbed, fisting her hands in his shirt. She needed to know that he was there, that she wasn't alone in this mental battle her mind was waging on her. He held her so tightly that it hurt, but she didn't mind.

"It's okay, it's okay." He murmured the same words over and over into her hair. She knew that he didn't mean that everything was okay, because it was certainly not. She definitely wasn't okay. But he meant that _this_ was okay. Crying was okay. Being emotionally exposed was okay. Being afraid was okay.

"I'm sorry," she Korra blubbered into his chest, now soaked with her tears. "That you have to see me like this." Mako chuckled softly.

"Korra, you might be the Avatar, but you're _human_. You're allowed to feel things." It sounded so simple and obvious coming from him, but it was a foreign concept to her. Ever since childhood, her entire identity had been the Avatar. She had to be strong, fearless and brave. The Avatar wasn't allowed the privilege of being weak.

"But how?" she whispered, lifting her head to look into his amber eyes. "How do I get rid of the nightmares?" A crease appeared between Mako's intriguing eyebrows.

"Well," Mako mused. "For starters, you don't run away from the people who want to help you. Like me."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Mako sighed. "You have a habit of doing that. Hiding your emotions so that I don't know what's bothering you. I wish you wouldn't."

"I'm sorry." She repeated. "I'll try to stop if it hurts you that much." Mako grinned into her loose hair.

"That would be nice." Korra yawned.

"We should probably go back to sleep. I have work tomorrow and you have airbending training." But closing her eyes was the last thing Korra wanted to do. Sleep was the place where nightmares never ended. She felt safe in Mako's arms, safe and awake. Mako felt her body become tense.

"Don't worry," he assured her, sensing her anxiety. "I'll be right here." Korra sighed, giving in to the promise of a full night's sleep. "Okay."

She settled down beside Mako, her back pressed into him. He hummed a melody deep in his chest, something like a lullaby. Korra thought that it sounded like something he might have sung to Bolin when they were children. The melody reverberated through him and into her. It filled her, making her feel not so lonely anymore.

Korra closed her eyes and, for the first time in weeks, there were no nightmares.

_((This started out as a fic inspired by the song "Take Care", but then it just turned into…this. I really should be writing chapter 4 of "What's Your Addiction?" but I'm not. Because I'm a bad writer. Shame on me. Welp. I hope you guys like this.))_


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